Doomsday scientists keep clock at three minutes to midnight

TheVerge.com reports that members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Tuesday that they are keeping the world's so-called Doomsday Clock at three minutes to "midnight" — a metaphor for the end of the world as we know it. The clock has been set at 11:57 p.m. since January 2015, when it was moved down from five minutes to destruction. It's the closest the clock has been to midnight since the Cold War in the 1980s.

The Bulletin scientists cited a number of reasons why the clock is staying right where it is. Notably, tensions between the United States and Russia are fairly high, reminiscent of their Cold War-era levels; the Bulletin is concerned that the two nations are unlikely to discuss any future arms control measures. And while President Obama signed a major, if controversial, deal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, North Korea tested a nuclear weapon of its own earlier this month. Many other countries are also increasing their nuclear weapons arsenal.